Episode 1 (Meteor Garden)
Episode 1 (第1集), also titled "Chapter One" (Chapter 壹) or "Overture" (序曲), is the first episode of the Taiwanese drama, Meteor Garden that aired in April 2001 on CTS. It introduces the main characters of the drama, including Dong Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si played by Barbie Hsu and Jerry Yan. Ying De Academy is ruled by a group of bullies called the F4. Shan Cai makes a conscious effort to avoid them until her friend is targeted. She stands up for her and gains an enemy in the F4's leader, Dao Ming Si. Plot Winter break has ended and Dong Shan Cai returns to school, the predominantly upper-class university, Ying De Academy. She and her friend, Li Zhen are among a few of the lower-class students in the school. The two friends walk to class together, and see Ah Shu packing his things. Ah Shu had angered the clique called the F4 by standing up to them. As a result, Ah Shu received a red card, was ostracized, and eventually decided to quit school. Shan Cai attempts to help Ah Shu, but is stopped by Li Zhen. As Shan Cai yells her frustrations about the situation on the roof, the F4 arrive at school late. Shan Cai and Li Zhen are walking together carrying equipment for their physical education class, when a professor accidentally spills soda on the F4's leader, Dao Ming Si. The professor quickly apologizes and runs away, thinking Dao Ming Si might hit him. The college professor knocks over Shan Cai's basket and Si also kicks it. However, another F4 member, Hua Ze Lei picks it up and makes brief eye contact with Shan Cai. At her part-time job, Shan Cai complains about the F4 to her best friend, Xiao You, but calls Lei "different." Realizing a change in her personality, Shan Cai considers quitting school. She attempts to convince her mother to let her and fails miserably. Around the same time, the F4 are at a bar, where Xi Men's latest girlfriend works. A fight breaks out, when the girl's boyfriend arrives. The F4 quickly beat him and his friends up, before leaving. The next day, Li Zhen and Shan Cai are walking down a stairway at school, when Li Zhen slips and the box she was carrying lands on Si. She attempts to apologize, which he ignores and pushes her aside. Shan Cai stands up to him, insulting him in the process. At school, Shan Cai receives the F4's "declaration of war", a red card. The other students begin to bully her, which gradually grows worse as the day goes on. Shan Cai finds herself on the rooftop, where she yells her vexations about the F4. Unexpectedly, Lei is there and lends her a handkerchief. Shan Cai returns to school the following day, and challenges the F4 by giving them her own red note. In response, Si hires some guys to just scare Shan Cai, though they actually attempt to assault her. Lei saves her and cheers her up when she starts to cry. Shan Cai punches Dao Ming Si in retaliation for the incident. Dao Ming Si spends five hours in his pool, presumably plotting his next move. Shan Cai looks for Lei on the rooftop, but finds him in the music room. She attempts to thank him, though he does not accept and promises to no longer visit the roof. Shan Cai is about to go home, when a group of men kidnap her and bring her to Si's house. He presents her with an offer to become his girlfriend. She rejects him and replies that she cannot be bought. Cast and characters Other *Ah Shu *Dao Ming Zhuang Guest roles *Bu Xue Liang (college professor)http://www.cts.com.tw:80/prog/drama/meteorgarden/fp02.htm (Chinese) *Liu Er Jin (Dao Ming Si's butler) Notes *The episode covers the first, second, third, and fourth chapters of the manga. *Qian Hui gets a nose job over the break, which Bai He calls "nose of Julia Roberts!" Roberts is a famous American actress known for her roles in Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich. *The voice message bear Li Zhen gives Shan Cai is similar to the voice messenger toy Makiko Endo gives Tsukushi Makino in the anime episode "Declaration of War!". *Shan Cai gets her hand stuck to a pay phone, which her classmates had covered in glue. A similar situation happens in Meteor Shower, where Chu Yuxun's (played by Zheng Shuang) hand is stuck to a toy horse. *A can of Coca-Cola is seen twice in this episode. References See also Category:A to Z Category:Episodes Category:Meteor Garden Category:Meteor Garden episodes